The original premise of this thread pretty much died when the Heat managed to right the ship on their 6 game west coast road trip last month. They started it off with Wade having sat the previous several games with a wrist injury, and had they gone 0-6 on that trip, they would have been 13-24 and at real risk of being on the bubble for the playoffs. But he came back and led them to a 4-2 record on that trip, which got them back on track. They lost 3 in a row on the road a couple of weeks ago, but they followed that by winning 6 out of their last 7, and with Portland at home tonight, they'll probably go into the All-Star break sitting back at .500 for the first time since before I started this thread back in November.

If HQ is right about them finishing 19-11 after the break (assuming they beat Portland tonight), I'm not sure that'll be good enough for second in the East. Cleveland, which is playing a little better now (3 game win steak), would only have to finish 16-15 to have a better record than HQ's prediction of 45-37 for the Heat. It's looking pretty bad for the other two potential playoff teams in Miami's division--Washington and Orlando--but I'm guessing that the Cavs and the Bulls will still both manage to finish ahead of Miami. That would put the Heat in the 5th slot in the East, with a first round matchup against Toronto, and then a second-round showdown with the Pistons.

EDIT: Whoops, I forgot the rules of how the NBA works...LOL. If Miami wins their division -- and the reeling Wizards and Magic are not inspiring much hope of preventing that -- then they'll be no worse than 3rd in the playoff seedings, assuming they finish better than whoever wins the still weak Atlantic division. So, the important thing to remember is that if the Heat win their division and the Pistons finish with the best record in the East, both of which seem pretty likely at this point, it doesn't look like they would meet each other in the playoffs until the conference finals.

With Wade's shoulder injury, this thread might have some life left in it. As of right now, the Heat are tied with Orlando for the 8th spot in the East, with the Nets two games behind them, and the Knicks 3 games back. If Wade has to miss the rest of the regular season (8 weeks), I'd say it'll be tough for the Heat to stay in the playoffs. If he's out for 6 weeks, as some of the initial reports have guessed, then he might be able to get them over the hump right at the end of the regular season. They haven't announced the results of any tests yet to determine how long he'll be out, but given how bad it looked last night, it would be very surprising if he's out for anything under 6 weeks.

I was not sad to see a Wade-less Miami team, but this is making me queasy thinking of Wade coming back prematurely and permanently damaging his shoulder. I mean, think of all the fantasy teams he has helped (inclding mine for the better part of the first half of the season). Seriously, though, I don't like to see anybody rip up their bodies (see Shaun Livingston).

Miami is now not only 5 games above 8th, they are only 1/2 a game behind the Wiz and 3rd seed. Boy, what a difference a 5 game winning streak can do for you in the lower echelon of the playoff picture.

And look who's hanging around 8th - Indiana and New Jersey. Looks like we may be renewing at least 1 rivalry in the first round.

Miami is now not only 5 games above 8th, they are only 1/2 a game behind the Wiz and 3rd seed. Boy, what a difference a 5 game winning streak can do for you in the lower echelon of the playoff picture.

And look who's hanging around 8th - Indiana and New Jersey. Looks like we may be renewing at least 1 rivalry in the first round.

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Thye Pacers have lost 10 straight and are still holding on to the 8th spot??

However I think they will finish out of the money and the Pistons may be looking at a first round match-up of the Nets, Knicks or even the Wiz if they continue their freefall.

I think Shaq is demonstrating why it is a good idea for Wade to attempt a comeback.

All these Wade, Kobe type guys get a lot of attention, but they look a lot better when they have a Shaq down low. Is Miami better with Wade and no Shaq, or Shaq and no Wade? Yet who is the one who gets all the MVP talk... MVP of the Finals, etc. I think Wade knows that when Shaq is gone, so are his Title chances. So it makes sense that he is risking his body for one more chance at the 'ship.

Look at how well the Lakers are doing with their "next MJ" and without Shaq.

Yeah, Miami is 8-2 in their last 10 games, and they made up 8 games on the Pacers in that stretch! The Heat currently have 6 fewer losses than the team closest behind them, New Jersey, so NOW I think we can finally say that the original premise of this thread is dead. Clearly, the Heat will be in the playoffs, and seeded no worse than 6th.

They only have one more loss than the Wiz, and if they catch them too, they'll be seeded 3rd or 4th, depending on whether they finish ahead of Toronto or not. The Cavs have 4 fewer losses than Miami, so the Heat's chances of moving all the way up to the 2nd spot are pretty slim. But since they're neck-and-neck with Toronto (both of them have 29 losses), it's definitely possible that the Heat could get the 4th seed, which would mean a second-round meeting with the Pistons.

Seems like the Heat will not only make the playoffs but will be the 4th seed if the Wizards continue to play the way they are playing since after the All Star break. Also looks like the Heat will either play the Wizards or the Bulls in the 1st round.

Shaq will make sure the Heat have success in the playoffs. Still upset with kobe for kicking Shaq off the Lakers. I've always liked Shaq and wish him well in the playoffs. Out of all the teams in the east, the HEAT is the one team I'd like to avoid. Trust me, they'll rise to the occasion..